Triple header raises £400 for RVH care unit

Cartoon Army reserves team. Pic by Laurence King INCT 23-729-CON

A team of local footballers have helped raise £400 for children’s intensive care at the Royal Victoria Hospital with a triple header of games.

Cartoon Army FC, made up of players from Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and Larne, organised the series of challenge matches at the end of May to raise funds for the paediatric care unit at the Belfast hospital.

Cartoon Army first team. Pic by Alan McNeice INCT 23-729-CON

Cartoon Army were originally formed in 2005 by former Carrick native David Hilton McIlwaine as a 6-a-side team, becoming an 11-a-side in 2011.

Last year, the popularity of the team grew to an extent that a Cartoon Army Reserves squad was formed.

The first game on May 21 saw a Cartoon Army Select squad take on Inst Legends at Pirrie Park, with a scoreline of 9-0 to the Legends.

This was followed by two more games on May 23 and 24 at Seaview, with the original and reserve squads facing an Irish League Legends side.

“Last year we raised £500 from the three games in aid of Northern Ireland Hospice,” said David.

“A lot of the guys on the team are from Carrick and quite a few of them are parents, so we really wanted to do something to raise money for the children’s intensive care unit at the Royal.”

Players raised funds by contributing a set amount to take part in the games, with collections carried out at each of the matches. Organisers also auctioned off a number of sports-related items.

“This time around, we raised £400 with thanks to the players of Cartoon Army, Cartoon Army Reserves and the Irish League Legends,” David added.

“We would like to thank Aidan Watson for helping out the Reserves, Gavin Arthur for getting the games together and Crusaders FC for giving us the pitch at a reduced price for the two days.

“We also want to thank Liam Atkinson at Touch Sports UK for doing a great job on our new kits and Tommy Phillips for covering the match and putting together the highlights.”